Dear Ms Swan
by Once Upon a Femmeslash
Summary: Where did Regina go after she disappeared from the altercation with the Charmings?
1. Chapter 1

Emma dumped Henry's backpack on the couch in the Charming apartment. "Hey kid, could you nuke some chicken nuggets for the two of us? David and Mary Margaret are on a date tonight, so we're on our own for dinner."

Henry frowned slightly. "Dinner? Emma, it's only four."

Emma paused on the stairs. "You saying you don't want chicken nuggets until later?"

Henry shook his head before sticking in into the freezer and rifling around. "I mean let's call chicken nuggets 'after school snack' and have pizza for dinner!"

"Sounds good, but we'll have to order mushrooms and olives to make sure you're getting your vegetables. And no soda." Emma anticipated Henry's words as he pulled his head out and opened his mouth to speak. "Not even Sprite. Listen, I'm going to take a quick shower to see if I can wash the magic residue off or something. I still feel kind of tingly in my fingers and toes."

* * *

Mildly frustrated, Emma shut off the water and reached for a towel. It wasn't unpleasant, really, just... strange. Just another part of all this weird she'd suddenly inherited, she supposed. Not that she couldn't try to use it to her advantage.

Emma ditched the towel and decided to try drying herself magically. She closed her eyes and imagined a quick gust of wind to quickly evaporate the moisture, concentrating on _willing_ it to happen.

"Shit, that's cold!" she hissed, hugging herself as her hair whipped wildly around her. She hurried out of the bathroom and shut the door behind her on the whirlwind she'd apparently created, hurrying to her closet to don something_ warm_.

After finding solace in a turtleneck and some flannel pajamas Emma turned her attention to her hopelessly tangled curls. As she brushed her mind wandered to the day's events. She found herself searching for bruises from her altercation with Regina, and finding none yet, turning her thoughts to where exactly the mayor would have magicked off to. Their conversation the previous evening at the diner, Regina's attempt at civility, replayed in her brain as she tried to reconcile that image of a kind, thankful woman with the heartlessness she'd seen through the dream catcher. It didn't seem possible, yet she had _seen_ it, hadn't she? Emma flopped onto her bed with a sigh.

She sat up when she heard a crinkling from under her pillow. Indignation rose within her as she inspected the sheet of copy paper lined with what was undeniably Regina's neat cursive. She apparated _here_? That's definitely breaking and entering or something. Nevertheless, she smoothed the crumpled paper on her leg and began to read.

_Dear Ms. Swan,_

_ I realize that you are wary of me and my intentions at the moment, but understand that I write not to proclaim my innocence or demand to see Henry, but rather I wish to issue a sincere warning I beg of you to take to heart. _

Emma snorted.

_Be careful with magic. I cannot stress enough the fact that all magic comes with a price. Magic may give you everything you could want- freedom, power, victory – but it isn't a free pass. Your bill will come due and the price will be hefty. Magic can built kingdoms, but it can also rot a person to her core. _

_You've barely begun to use magic, you still have a chance. Please, quit while you're ahead. It has its allure, but you must resist. Once you've tasted magic it can become a craving, an addiction. Look to what magic has done to Rumplestiltskin, to Cora, and to me. Power corrupts, magical power even more so than any other. For your sake, for Henry's, and for all of Storybrooke's please do not go down that path. _

Emma ran a hand through her dry hair rather guiltily. She read on.

_I also warn you to be wary of Gold. He taught my mother, he taught me, and I am sure he would love to entrap you with his web of magic for his own purposes. If you should require my help I ask you to use the mirror. _

Mirror? Emma flipped the letter over several times, then felt under her pillow. Finally, she found it between her bed and the wall where it had evidently bounced when Emma had flopped onto the bed. She had been expecting some ornate royal hand mirror, and was admittedly a bit let down as she inspected the modern portable compact mirror. After grappling with the purple plastic for a moment she was able to figure out how to open it. A twinge of shame struck Emma as she traced the crack down the middle of the mirror with a finger. She weighed Regina's warnings against the embarrassment of having been given a magical mirror and _breaking_ it immediately.

Decision made, she closed her eyes. "_Reparo_," she whispered. She opened her eyes slowly to inspect the damage, and grinned when she found the glass unmarred. "Just call me Hermione," she muttered. She set the mirror aside for a moment to continue the paragraph.

_Simply speak the password, which I am sure you'll guess, and I will answer. I will not be appearing in town nor will I give away my location, as I do not wish to meet my end at the hands of a lynch mob. However, understand that I am willing to help with Henry, with your newfound magic, with Archie's case should you continue to investigate, or with anything else you may question. I am willing to help, and I hope you will not be unwilling to ask. _

Emma considered trying out a few possible passwords but decided to finish the letter first.

_I wish to apologize for my behavior earlier. You antagonized me and magically threatened me, but I rose to the bait and escalated the situation. Tossing you through the air was unnecessary. I behaved more like the Queen I used to be than the mother I wish to be now, which I do regret. _

_ Please tell Henry I love him. _

_ Sincerely,_

_ Regina_

Emma blinked in surprise. She wasn't sure how to feel about the ending, really. She pushed away the cocktail of surprise and shame and empathy swirling within her to focus on the pressing issues the letter brought into question:

1. To use the mirror or not to use the mirror?

2. To hide it from Snow and Charming or to let them in on it?

3. Most importantly, what should she tell Henry?


	2. Chapter 2

"Open Sesame."

"Abracadabra."

"Alohomora."

"Password."

"Uh, no boys allowed."

"Ooh, Henry! Henry!"

"Come on, 'Henry'_ has_ to be it!"

"Ummmm... Oh, All magic comes with a price!"

"No? I will destroy your happiness if it is the last thing I do."

"You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Best cider you've ever tasted?"

"True love is the most powerful magic of all?"

Henry's voice floated up from downstairs. "Emma, what's taking so long? Your chicken nuggets are getting cold!"

"In a minute, kid! I'm busy right now, but I'll be down in just a bit!" Emma called back.

"Harry Potter's on TV! It's your favorite one!"

"Chamber of Secrets?"

"No, Prisoner of Azakaban! Come _on_, he's about to use the Marauder's Map to go to Hogsmeade!"

"Just a minute kid, we _do_ have it on DVD!"

"Fine!"

Emma turned back to the mirror.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Nothing.

"Ooh!" A fit of hissing and hacking ensued as Emma tried to mimic Parseltoungue for "Open".

Emma cleared her throat and wiped spittle from the mirror as she pondered. Basilisk... Snake...

"Cobra! Operation Cobra!"

"You don't need to shout."

Emma blinked back surprise as her reflection faded and was replaced by the visage of the former Mayor.

"Uh, hi. Umm, thanks? For the mirror?"

"You are welcome." Emma tried to discern from the background where Regina might be, but the flickering light that Emma guessed came from a candle barely lit the brunette's face as it was. "How is Henry?"

"He's downstairs eating chicken nuggets and watching Harry Potter. He's fine. He's... he's disappointed, but he's okay. "

Regina nodded silently, allowing herself to be reassured by the information. Her head pitched forward for a moment, her hair hiding her face. When she raised her head again and brushed her hair out of her face, in the process coming closer to the candle, Emma was astonished at what became apparent. Regina's eyes were puffy and red-rimmed, her face drawn. Emma jumped minutely when Regina sniffed and watched, fascinated, as she wiped her nose on her sleeve. Finally, Regina's eyes met Emma's.

"Does he hate me?"

Emma floundered, looking for an answer that would comfort but would still be truth. "I... He's disappointed."

Emma cringed at Regina's crestfallen expression. "But! But wait. You're still his mom, okay? I'm his mom too now, as much as it scares me, but you were his mom first and you are still his mom. Okay?"

Regina sniffed and nodded.

"He's disappointed, but you're still his mom and he still loves you. He asked me if I was sure, okay? He wanted to make sure I was sure. He still loves you, he just... he's disappointed."

Regina nodded slowly, not meeting Emma's eyes.

Emma took a deep breath. "And I'm _not_ sure. Snow and Charming are but I... I mean, I know what I saw in the dream catcher. But still, it did come from Gold's shop, and it all... the evidence is all so convenient. I'm going to keep investigating, you know, just to make sure. So I guess, if maybe you didn't do it, I'll find out. Okay?"

Regina gave a small smile, wiping at her nose and eyes. "Okay. Thank you," she nodded.

Suddenly Regina shifted gears, sitting up straighter and clearing her throat. "So. You called, and I have a feeling it wasn't just to say 'thanks'."

"Yeah. I... yeah." Emma sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I kind of created a tornado in the bathroom."

Regina's expression quite clearly said _Oh really?_ as her eyebrow shot up. "How did you manage that?"

"Well I had just gotten out of the shower and I couldn't find a towel and I just kinda figured I could air-dry. Except I guess I overshot it because instead of a breeze I got gale-force winds that I'm pretty sure are still going on in there. Can you, um, come fix it? Please?"

Regina shook her head. "What part of 'all magic comes with a price' did you not understand? You shouldn't have tried to use magic."

"Yeah, okay, I get that _now_. And for the record I didn't find the note until _afterwards_. So can you come fix it?"

"'Come fix it?' You just ambushed me at my own home, why on earth would I meet you again for what is quite likely another trap? Miss Swan, if you think I'm going to risk capture simply to rectify your stupid mistakes…"

"Whoa, okay." Emma interrupted. "I get it, you're not gonna come fix it. But can you help me?"

Regina closed her eyes for a moment as she took a steadying breath. "You need to calm it. If you had the magic to bring it forth then you have the magic to will it away."

"So just like… what I did the first time, but opposite?"

"I suppose so," Regina nodded. "Stand in the center and use your magic to once again feel it under your control, then slowly calm yourself and the winds will follow."

Emma pulled a face and whined. "I have to stand in the middle? I just brushed my hair!"

"Hey kid. Any chicken nuggets left?"

"Uh, what happened to your hair?" Henry's gaze was torn from the screen as he noticed Emma's wild mane.

Emma trudged past him to the kitchen. "I'm going for the Bellatrix Lestrange look. But seriously, did you eat all the nuggets?"

"On the stove!" Henry called as his attention was recaptured by the on-screen hippogriff. His eyes remained focused on the television as he spooned another mouthful of Chocolate Fudge into his mouth straight from the carton.

"Dude, there are only like three!" Emma cried.

"I'm a kid. Chicken nuggets are made for kids. So yeah, I ate more than half. Go find a breast or something, you're an adult."

Emma shoved a chicken nugget into her mouth and grabbed the other two with one hand as she opened the fridge with the other. "Just because they may be designed for kids doesn't mean you should eat _seventeen_." Emma sighed as she surveyed the fridge for a moment. Her hand hovered over leftover spaghetti, then some yoghurt before landing on a block of cheese. She grabbed a paring knife from a drawer before making her way back to the living room.

Emma sat next to Henry and scarfed down her last two chicken nuggets before slicing off a bit of cheese. The cheese hovered near her mouth as she studied her son, shoveling ice cream with a ghostly glow from the television giving him an even more melancholy aura. "You wanna tell me why you're suddenly hungrier than Grawp?"

Henry spared a glance to Emma before returning his gaze to the screen. "Dunno. Just hungry. I'm a growing boy."

Emma poked him in the shoulder. "Sure you're not eating your emotions?"

"Can't. Emotions aren't edible. They're just feelings."

Emma placed an arm around Henry's shoulders. "You know, Ruby told me that Belle told her that eating chocolate releases some chemical in your brain that's supposed to make you happy."

Henry looked down as his spoon met cardboard. "I think I need a few more cartons."

Henry leaned his head on Emma's shoulder as she pulled him closer in a sort of side-hug. "As a responsible adult I should probably tell you to eat your vegetables and deal with your feelings in a healthier way, but that would assume that I'm a responsible adult. So I guess instead I'm going to grab the mint chocolate chip so we can share. Sound cool?"

Henry nodded.

Emma started to get up, but leaned back for a moment to smooth Henry's hair. "I'm going to look into it, okay? I mean, it's all a little too convenient. Maybe things didn't happen the way we think they did."

Henry licked off the spoon before prying his gaze from the screen to meet Emma's. "Can we just pretend we're in a world where magic doesn't come with a price, at least for a couple hours?"

"We can have a marathon if it'd make you feel better. Let's use the DVDs so we don't have to sit through commercials, okay Albus Severus?"

"Albus Severus? I'm totally Harry."

"Nope, you're Albus Severus because _I'm_ Harry. Come on, I'm the 'chosen one' or whatever!"

Henry smiled. "Whatever. But if we're eating more ice cream can we still get pizza?"


	3. Chapter 3

I am not lactose intolerant, so if there are any errors please let me know.

* * *

"Hey," Emma whispered as Regina swam into view. "I just kinda figured you'd want to know that it worked, you know, getting rid of the tornado."

Emma could barely see Regina as the latter nodded. "And you won't try it again?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die." Emma awkwardly tried to cross her heart but only succeeded in knocking her flashlight off of where she'd had it propped against her pillow. She could no longer see the mirror but could hear as Regina implored "What happened, where are you? Why are you whispering?"

Emma got back into position under the covers before replying. "In bed. I don't want to wake Henry or Mary Margaret or David."

Emma could definitely make out a smirk. "What, is it past your bed time?"

Emma glared back. "Do you want to hear about Henry or not?"

Regina suddenly became serious. "Has something changed? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He'll be fine. We watched the first four Harry Potter movies before Mary Margaret came back and insisted we go to bed. He said he wanted to be in a world where magic didn't come with a price. Pretty sure he'll end up with a killer stomach ache, though."

Regina eyed Emma warily. "Why would he have a killer stomach ache?"

"We, um, had chicken nuggets. And pizza. And quite a bit of ice cream. And maybe some Doritos. Oh, and he had at least four cups of hot chocolate."

"Emma, how much ice cream did you give him exactly? He's lactose intolerant and he left his lactaid at home, he shouldn't be having dairy!"

"He didn't say that! You didn't say that! Why did no one tell me this? What do I do?"

"You need to give him his medication and be ready to hold him when he wakes up with a terrible stomach ache. There will probably be vomiting. Take him to Doctor Whale if it gets too bad. You might want to have sprite and saltines on hand if he feels like eating, but he probably won't for a while. I can't believe he ate ice cream without having his medication."

"Okay, okay, back up. It's the middle of the night, where do I find the lactaid?" Emma tried to stay calm, but the sudden responsibility of a sick kid was starting to overwhelm her.

"Like I said, at home. They're in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom across from his room."

Emma winced when she heard Henry groan sleepily. "Mom? I don't feel so good."

"How am I supposed to go get the medicine now? Did you hear that? He's awake! I have to stay here, I have to be with him, I have to get the medicine…" Emma's eyes were wide with panic. "Why did he eat all that ice cream? I don't… I can't…"

Regina's voice was harsh. "Miss Swan! Being a mother isn't all junk food and magical adventures. Being a mother is staying up all night with a colicky infant, it's changing diapers, it's washing oatmeal out of your hair, it's mopping up vomit. Being a mother is wonderful, but there's also this side and if you want to be a mom to Henry you need to step up, right now."

Emma took short, quick breaths as she stared blankly at the mirror. "I… I don't think I can… I just…" she stuttered, panicked and full of self-doubt.

At that moment Henry cried "Mom!" with low, painful wail.

Regina closed her eyes to sigh, and when she opened them again they were full of determination and motherly compassion. "I'll take care of him. You just make sure your lovely parents don't wake up or they _will_ regret it. And no tricks, or I swear it that you will not see my son again. I'll meet you in Henry's room."

"Wait, I…!" Emma was met only with her reflection in the small mirror.

She sprang out of bed as she heard a groggy voice call "Henry?"

"Shit." Emma slid into the hallway to intercept Mary Margaret. "Hey, um, I got it. Thanks, but you can go back to bed. It's fine."

"Emma, let me help. I know about the dreams, I've been there."

"Yeah, it's not the dreams. It's just his stomach, so I've got this. Okay? Go back to sleep."

Mary Margaret could sense the panic in Emma's voice. "Emma, are you okay? Why don't I just…"

Emma caught her as she tried to brush past the blonde.

"Sorry," she winced as she waved a faintly glowing hand over her mother's face.

Mary Margaret's expression changed from one of confusion and shock to a blank slate in milliseconds as she slowly slumped into her daughter.

"O-okay, okay." Emma caught her and gingerly shifted her mother into an awkward fireman's carry. She toted her back into the bedroom and dumped her unceremoniously onto the bed, miraculously failing to rouse the dead-to-the-world prince. Quickly, Emma scurried on socked feet to Henry.

When she entered the room she was admittedly disappointed. Henry seemed to have fallen back asleep, and the room seemed calm as a streetlamp from outside the window provided just enough light for Emma to notice something sitting on the nightstand.

* * *

Henry didn't seem to notice when Regina appeared in a cloud of purple smoke, or he was too involved in his pain to react. With sorrow in her eyes Regina slid into bed with her son, cradling him in her arms and smoothing down his hair. "Shh, it's okay," she murmured.

Henry melted into her embrace, appreciating the comfort as his intestines disagreed with his dietary habits. He blushed just a little when Regina quietly asked "Why did you do it? You knew this would happen."

"I knew you'd come." He twisted his head so he could meet her gaze with wide, trusting eyes. "I knew that if I was in danger and you truly loved me then you would know, and you would come. I knew it."

Regina smiled sadly. "I do love you. You don't need to make yourself sick to know that I love you. Here." Henry's eyes grew wide as Regina waved a hand and a few light blue sparks appeared and dissipated into his abdomen, but a second later he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Better?" Regina asked with a smile.

"Better," Henry affirmed.

"Don't do that again. I brought your medicine, and if you want to see me you request it of Ms. Swan, okay?"

"Okay," Henry conceded. "Where did you go?"

"I can't tell you that."

Henry nodded acceptingly. A pause, and then he asked the question that was really on his mind. "Did you do it? Did you kill him?"

"No, I didn't." Regina played with his hair as she answered sadly. "Believe what you will, but I wouldn't hurt him. He was as much of a friend to me as he was to you. Besides, I was trying to be better for you. Why would I throw that away?"

Henry nodded as if he understood. "I probably shouldn't tell them you were here, huh?" he asked.

"You may discuss it with Ms. Swan, but it would be best to keep the two idiots in the dark."

Regina froze as she heard movement in the hallway. Eager to avoid anyone who may be about to enter Regina extracted herself from her son and settled him into bed, tucking him in.

"I do love you," she whispered.

"Bye, mom," Henry responded as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Emma treaded lightly so not to wake Henry as she picked up the medication on the nightstand. Upon finding a note attached she put the medicine back and took the note into her room in order to read it with better lighting. She lay down and hunkered again under the covers with her mirror and flashlight before reading the note.

_"Dear Ms. Swan_

_He needs to take one per day, usually with breakfast. He should take an extra one if he wants to eat more dairy than usual. Make sure he takes them; he sometimes complains that they're too large to swallow._

_He should rest easy tonight, provided he doesn't awake with nightmares. I will always be there when he needs me as long as I am able, but you do need to step up. I trust you will not be too prideful to call upon your resources should you need them in creating a stable home for our son. _

_Always remember: all magic comes with a price. _

_-R"_

Emma worried for her magically sedated mother, then for whatever Regina must have used to get Henry well and off to sleep in seconds as she folded the note into the mirror and stored it under her pillow before succumbing to sleep herself.

* * *

Across town in a dimly lit room under the mausoleum Regina doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach. She gingerly lowered herself onto her cot and drew the pan and washcloth she'd found near before blowing out the candles. With a grimace she swallowed a couple lactaid pills and settled in for an uncomfortable night. After all, all magic comes with a price.


End file.
